DaRmaZat Anyone who played High on Life, Squanch Games’ comedic FPS, surely remembers its many absurdities, very crude humor, and the constant swearing of the talking weapons. And yes, to dive right into it, in the sequel High on Life 2, you hear that darn F-word constantly again. It must be said that the plot kicks off impressively in a cinematic way, actually even through an artistically clever montage of stitched-together flash-forwards and flashback cutscenes, and a TV show that is funny because of its awkwardness. Yet, the final narrative hook of this sequel is not exactly anything to write home about, let alone planet Earth. But perhaps that is irrelevant, since “seriousness” is not to be found in the game developers’ absurd, intergalactic dictionary anyway. And what else is there to tell, now that the Nintendo Switch 2 edition is finally out?
Unoriginal Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Unfunny
Rhea Pharma, an evil pharmaceutical megaconglomerate of alien races, has devised a nefarious plan to turn all humans into pills for their own consumption, a substance that goes by the brand name Humanzapro. Naturally, as an intergalactically renowned bounty hunter and the one who wiped out the terribly evil G3 cartel in the previous game, you cannot let this happen. Together with Lizzie and her gang of rebels called The Bleeding Stars, you get to work to put a stop to all the alien varmints involved. Just like in the previous game, you do this by tracking them down at their home bases on distant planets using your Bounty 5000 Portal device, while your mentor and narrator Gene remains camped out on your couch, lazy as can be.
No, the plot and its execution will certainly win no awards for originality. Thrown right into the action at Circuit Arcadia Zoo during a rescue mission shortly after the introduction, you quickly realize that the linear storyline mostly comes down to completing objectives while doing a fair amount of platforming and blasting with your various Gatlians – your foul-mouthed, ever-babbling weapons.
If verbal jabs, far-fetched references, and fast-paced, hectic, Rick & Morty-like vulgarity are your thing, then you, just like me, will find the humor spot-on. Whether it is that bird you can use directly as a melee weapon, that human locked in a zoo exhibit whom you can pet like an animal, or that reptile boss whose head and arms you can chop off as much as you want in an attempt to eliminate him: you could never dream up anything so absurd yourself as how High on Life 2 pushes the absurdly extreme boundaries of hilarity in a positive vibe that resets your brain to below sub-zero levels every other minute.
More Weapons, More Talking
Naturally, as an experienced bounty hunter, you remember well how to handle such a weapon, whether it keeps quiet for once or not. And that immediately proves to be an absolute necessity in this second part if you want to permanently wipe the Rhea Pharma scum from the galaxy. In contrast to the rather limited arsenal from the first game, you collect a total of nine talking guns. The weapon roster includes, of course, the three favorites Gus, Sweezy, and Creature, but B.A.L.L. from the High on Knife DLC is also back in action, and on top of that, you finally get another five brand-new weapons.
This time, you get the dodge move almost right away, and the execution kill via Knifey makes the action combat much more complete and thus smoother right from the start. Admittedly, I must confess that the enemy AI in this edition is also not top-tier – perhaps we can even call it glitchy here – and besides that, the shooting itself still feels a bit like it lacks real impact, and shooting with the controller remains a bit messy. Just like before, most of these weapons have their own Trickshots again, which you can use both for platforming (think Gus’ Disc Launcher) and during combat (such as freezing time with Sweezy’s bubble), and they can once again be refilled via the Bounty Juice pickup. A less successful aspect of the gameplay is the puzzles, which repeat the same ideas too often (find the umpteenth Lugblob to use as a trampoline or to place on a Power Pad to open a door) and thereby drag down the pacing.
Skateboarding Does the Trick
Anyway, in terms of scope, this title is considerably larger, and that also manifests itself in the game world, which offers about double the size with its three colorful, biome-diverse planets, with Circuit Arcadia as the main hub, supplemented by some smaller levels for specific missions. There are plenty of secrets to discover (even retro minigames!) that you can only uncover later because progression is also designed in a Metroidvania-like fashion with skills that unlock previously inaccessible areas, making revisiting the worlds worthwhile. Still, this does not change the fact that this entry also progresses fairly linearly through compact, story-driven levels, though the level layout is much more vertical and dynamic.
The biggest innovation in that regard is definitely the skateboard (and its upgrades), which offers momentum-based wall-riding and vertical skating. Regularly, you will have to climb or descend at full speed on your board, alternating with grappling via Knifey and double jumping while shooting open locks. There are even quite a few challenging platforming sections where you will have to race against the clock, requiring precise timing and execution. During boss battles, this constant movement is also a must, or you will quickly bite the dust. Fortunately, you have multiple difficulty settings, including a Story Mode for those who want to just enjoy this game even more mindlessly than the creators intended.
Somewhere between Fidelity and Performance
Unfortunately, this Switch 2 edition contains neither a Quality nor a Performance Mode, meaning you will have to settle for a sort of fixed trade-off between the two. Graphically, with its busy and sometimes harder-to-read environments, High on Life 2 is a demanding title for the Switch 2, and you notice this through regular FPS drops. Still, these never become dramatic, as the game ultimately fluctuates around its targeted 30 FPS. The loading screens, however, are a different story. Not only does the screen temporarily freeze during them, but they also last abnormally long each time.
On top of that, I found it very striking that every now and then you literally have to stand there waiting in-game at some door or gate, simply because the section of the level behind it hasn’t finished loading yet. In short, no, the Nintendo Switch 2 is certainly not the platform of choice if you want to experience games at their smoothest. But on the plus side, even though the music is still rather weird and mostly chaotic and thus will not appeal to everyone equally, the voice acting, on the other hand, is once again top-notch, featuring a mishmash of comical accents and impressions.
Final Thoughts
Anyone who enjoyed playing the previous game will feel right at home with High on Life 2. Even though the absurd, crude humor is just as effective for me, the title doesn’t exactly bring a uniquely groundbreaking story with its intergalactic plot revolving around aliens threatening the human race. As a result, I was less immersed in its world and lore than I was with its predecessor. It is mainly the gameplay where High on Life 2 takes steps forward, with the skateboarding adding another layer to both platforming and combat. It’s just that this Switch 2 version suffers from very long load times and sporadic FPS drops, so some optimization would definitely be welcome.
Additional Information
Release Date: July 1, 2026
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch 2. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Squanch Games
Publisher: Squanch Games
Relevant links: Available via Nintendo eShop (BE, NL, US).
